Virrat (; sv, Virdois) is a

town A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world. Origin and use The word "town" shares an ori ...

and

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...

Finland Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...

. It is part of the Pirkanmaa

region In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as zones, lands or territories, are areas that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and the interaction of humanity and t ...

, and it is located north of

Tampere Tampere ( , , ; sv, Tammerfors, ) is a city in the Pirkanmaa region, located in the western part of Finland. Tampere is the most populous inland city in the Nordic countries. It has a population of 244,029; the urban area has a population o ...

and west of Jyväskylä. The distance between Virrat and

Helsinki Helsinki ( or ; ; sv, Helsingfors, ) is the Capital city, capital, primate city, primate, and List of cities and towns in Finland, most populous city of Finland. Located on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, it is the seat of the region of U ...

is . The town has a population of () and covers an area of of which is water. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopul ...

is . The municipality is unilingually Finnish. The town grew rapidly in the middle years of the twentieth century, and by 1950 the population reached more than 12,000. Virrat acquired town status in 1977, although it had received the right to hold markets three years earlier, in 1974. More recently the population level has been adversely impacted by the drift of employment opportunities and people to the larger towns. Apart from the town of Virrat itself, the administratively defined municipality is largely rural, and includes the villages of Äijänneva, Härkönen Jäähdyspohja, Killinkoski, Koro, Kotala, Kurjenkylä, Liedenpohja, Ohtola, Vaskuu, and Vaskivesi. Major lakes in the area are

Lake Toisvesi Toisvesi is a medium-sized lake in Finland. It is situated in the municipality of Virrat in the Pirkanmaa region in western Finland. The lake is part of the Kokemäki River basin and a part of a chain of lakes that consist among others of the lak ...

, beside which the town of Virrat is located, and

Lake Tarjanne Tarjanne (also Tarjannevesi) is a medium-sized lake in Finland. It is situated in the municipalities of Ruovesi, Virrat and Mänttä-Vilppula in the Pirkanmaa region in western Finland. The lake is part of the Kokemäenjoki basin. The main inflow ...

at the border of the municipalities of Virrat, Mänttä-Vilppula, and Ruovesi.

Virrat crater Virrat is an impact crater on Mars, approximately in diameter. It is located at 31.1°S, 103°W, southwest of the crater Dinorwic (crater), Dinorwic and northeast of Clantas Fossae. Several Virrat crater radii to the north are the craters Koga ( ...

Mars Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun and the second-smallest planet in the Solar System, only being larger than Mercury (planet), Mercury. In the English language, Mars is named for the Mars (mythology), Roman god of war. Mars is a terr ...

is named after it.

Climate

Virrat has a

subarctic climate The subarctic climate (also called subpolar climate, or boreal climate) is a climate with long, cold (often very cold) winters, and short, warm to cool summers. It is found on large landmasses, often away from the moderating effects of an ocean, ge ...

( Dfc).

Diurnal air temperature variation In meteorology, diurnal temperature variation is the variation between a high air temperature and a low temperature that occurs during the same day. Temperature lag Temperature lag is an important factor in diurnal temperature variation: peak d ...

is higher than in other parts of Pirkanmaa.

Notable people

Seppo Hovinen Seppo Juhani Hovinen (born February 4, 1951 in Virrat) is a retired Finnish javelin thrower. A leading favorite in the 1976 Montréal Olympics, he failed to deliver, finishing 7th. Rise to elite Hovinen exploded to international attention in the ...

(born 1951), a Finnish

javelin throw The javelin throw is a track and field event where the javelin, a spear about in length, is thrown. The javelin thrower gains momentum by running within a predetermined area. Javelin throwing is an event of both the men's decathlon and the ...

er *

I. K. Inha I. K. Inha (''Into Konrad'', born Konrad into Nyström, November 12, 1865 Virrat – April 3, 1930, Helsinki) was a Finnish photographer, author, translator, and journalist. Inha is considered to be one of the grand masters of Finnish photograph ...

(1865–1930), a Finnish photographer, author, translator, and journalist * Antti Lieroinen (?–1643), a famous Finnish

cunning man Cunning may refer to: * Cunning (owarai), a Japanese comedy group * Cunning folk, a type of folk magic user * Cunning (surname), a list of people with Cunning as a surname See also * Cunningham * * * Sneak (disambiguation) Sneak or Sneaky m ...

and death-sentenced for

witchcraft Witchcraft traditionally means the use of magic or supernatural powers to harm others. A practitioner is a witch. In medieval and early modern Europe, where the term originated, accused witches were usually women who were believed to have us ...

Vesa Rantanen Vesa Rantanen (born 2 December 1975 in Jalasjärvi) is a retired Finnish pole vaulter. He competed at the World Championships in 1997 and 1999, the 2002 European Championships and the 2004 Olympic Games without ever reaching the final. His pers ...

(born 1975), a Finnish

pole vault Pole vaulting, also known as pole jumping, is a track and field event in which an athlete uses a long and flexible pole, usually made from fiberglass or carbon fiber, as an aid to jump over a bar. Pole jumping competitions were known to the Myc ...

er *

Tom Sukanen Tom Sukanen (born ''Tomi Jaanus Alankola''; 1878 – April 23, 1943), was a Finnish-born sailor, farmer and Canadian. He immigrated to Minnesota at the age of 20, where he married and became a farmer. In 1911, he left his wife and farm and walked t ...

(1873–1943), a Finnish-born

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

sailor and farmer

Gallery

File:Virrat Kaupungintalo.jpg, Virrat Town Hall File:Virrat kirkko2.jpg, Virrat Church File:Virtain kirjasto (15013995461).jpg, Virrat Library File:Virrat - beach 2.jpg, A beach at the Kalettomanlahti Bay in Virrat

References

External links

Town of Virrat
– Official site Cities and towns in Finland Populated places established in 1868 {{WesternFinland-geo-stub